The Goals Blog: A unique spin on the NHL roundup for hockey fans.
Pittsburgh 3, Philadelphia 2: Looks like the Penguins and Flyers had some fun last night in Philadelphia. Good action, a lot of good saves early. Then Sidney Crosby made a nice, simple cross-ice pass that found Ryan Malone wide open for the first goal. Less than a minute later, Crosby threw a behind the back pass that eventually set up another goal. 2-0 Pens.
Then Joni Pitkanen, a great young Flyers defenseman who most people still haven't heard of, scored a pair of power play goals to tie it up. In overtime, Marc-Andre Fleury made some terrific saves, and Malone fed Crosby for a clean breakaway. Surprisingly, Crosby didn't deke; he roofed the puck to the stick side, beating Antero Niittymaki.
Including his shootout game-winner against Montreal last week (which doesn't count in the official statistics), Crosby now has two game-winners. Keep reminding yourself: He's only 18.
Isles 7, Thrashers 3: Janne Niinimaa and Shawn Bates are two guys who intermittently take a lot of heat from Isles fans, but they hooked up for a gorgeous goal to make it 1-0.
Atlanta's Adam Berkhoel is easily the most overmatched goalie in the NHL. When you see some of the lousy goals that are scored against him, you almost feel bad for him. The Thrashers are desperate to get Kari Lehtonen/Mike Dunham/anyone else back from injury... Although it isn't as if Garth Snow exactly stole the show in net last night for the Islanders.
After watching Jason Blake dust Berkhoel for the seventh Islanders goal last night, and after seeing him burn Jocelyn Thibault in Pittsburgh on his decisive shootout goal on Monday, perhaps Steve Stirling should elevate him to a little higher than ninth in his shootout pecking order.
Attention Mike Milbury haters: Miro Satan has 11 goals.
Blues 2, Blue Jackets 0: Who the heck is Lee Stempniak? I don't know either, but he burned Marc Denis for the game-winner in Columbus with a little backhand-forehand magic last night. On the play, Columbus defenseman Duvie Westcott made perhaps the worst defensive play in NHL history, allowing Stempniak to essentially tip toe right past him toward the goal.
Flames 3, Red Wings 1: Flames defenseman Andrew Ference got himself on Robert Lang's Christmas card list by essentially handing him the puck at the Calgary blueline for a breakaway. Lang, who picked up the torch for hockey mullet wearers everywhere when Jaromir Jagr chopped his a few years back, beat Miikka Kiprusoff to the five-hole for a 1-0 lead.
With the season for giving right around the corner, Detroit 'tender Manny Legace admirably matched Ference's generosity by whiffing on a pair of savable shots for Calgary's second and third goals.
Avalanche 3, Coyotes 1: Beautiful shot by Mike Johnson to score Phoenix's first goal. Too bad he never quite fulfilled his potential after scoring 20 goals a couple of times early in his career.
There's something to be said for being in the right place at the right time. Marek Svatos tipped in a Pierre Turgeon rebound that sat on the goal line to tie the game at 1-1. Then he walked down the slot just as a big rebound caromed away from Curtis Joseph and blasted home the go-ahead goal.
Rob Blake scored one of the smoothest slapshot goals from the point I've ever seen. Smooth and Rob Blake just sort of go together, don't they?
Stars 4, Ducks 2: Now this is what hockey dreams are made of: Tied 1-1, Anaheim's Rob Niedermayer gains the zone and walks in along the near boards. He delays, then slides a backhand pass around the defenseman to his brother Scott, who glides in and chops a perfect short-side backhander past Marty Turco.
Hey, maybe if the Stars hadn't spent most of the night firing lasers from in and around the slot, Ilya Bryzgalov would've made the Ducks' lead hold up.
Canucks 3, Sharks 1: You've got the puck and you're in on a two-on-one. Shoot or pass? If you're Richard Park and Marcel Goc, you shoot it, baby. Vancouver's Park made a nice fake before drifting acorss the slot to beat Evgeni Nabokov. Then San Jose's Goc slipped a wrister past Dan Cloutier on the short side. I'm going to commission the Elias Sports Bureau to find out how many times two-on-one passes get broken up.
Nothing quiets a crowd like a go-ahead goal by the visitors in the third period. To wit: Ed Jovanovski's tip in with 9:45 left. And nothing electrifies a crowd like a big hit on the guy who just scored the go-ahead goal. To wit: Patrick Marleau's pasting of Jovanovski one minute later.
There was an Anson Carter sighting last night at the HP Pavilion. The Vancouver winger scored an insurance goal for the Canucks on a power play rebound. Remember when this guy was one of the most feared two-way players in hockey? It was only four years ago he scored 28 goals for Edmonton.